Exploring two outstanding national parks that are close to Jakarta, yet take time to reach - well rewarding the effort with splendid forests, scenery and wildlife watching.
Wildlife and Conservation
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Basic info on wild birds and H5N1 avian influenza Notions that migratory birds are responsible for spreading the New n Nasty H5N1 Bird Flu Variant around Asia are quackers (chiefly looking at 2003/2004 outbreaks) |
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Bauhinia - Hong Kong orchid tree Bauhinia, emblem of Hong Kong, is a tree with beautiful, orchid-like flowers. Also known as Hong Kong orchid tree. |
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Beidaihe - Bird Migration Hub of the Orient Beidaihe, east China - Bird Migration Hub of the Orient |
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Beidaihe Autumn Bird Migration Report Autumn bird migration at Beidaihe, China, 1986-1990 |
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Beidaihe autumn report 2 Beidaihe autumn bird migration report (1986-1990): species systematically treated |
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Beidaihe autumns conclusions Autumn bird migration at Beidaihe 1986 to 1990 conclusions |
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Beidaihe Can Create Exciting Bird Reserve I believe that at Beidaihe, we have the chance to create the world’s most exiting reserve for migratory birds. |
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Bird Flu inc H5N1 Info Info and links re bird flu, especially the nasty H5N1 variant in Asia |
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Black-faced Spoonbill Birders though Black-faced Spoonbill was common, till they found it was almost extinct. |
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Captive breeding Philippine Eagles Domingo Tadena: Captive breeding Philippine eagles |
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Catfish Farm Catfish at fish farm in Java fed dead chickens - helping show integrated fish farming may play role in spreading H5N1 bird flu. |
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Checklist of Beidaihe Birds Checklist of the birds of Beidaihe, east China |
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Conservation Plan for Beidaihe A conservation plan for Beidaihe, China |
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Deep Bay wetland in Hong Kong Deep Bay wetland, Hong Kong - internationally important, especially for water birds |
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Forest Conservation in Indonesian Borneo
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Gurney's Pitta in Thailand Gurney's Pitta back from oblivion |
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Healing Power of Pets Pets can help people heal from illnesses |
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Hong Kong Birding intro Birding in Hong Kong |
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Hong Kong Black Kites Black Kite is one of Hong Kong's most familiar birds. |
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Hong Kong Wild Stars Hong Kong's rare dolphin, spoonbill, tree frog, and a dragonfly |
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Not BB i birding humour The magazine for the serious birdspotter |
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Not BB ii The magazine for the serious birdspotter, Vol II |
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Not BB III The magazine for the serious birdspotter, Vol III |
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Openbill Storks Visits to openbill stork colonies in Thailand |
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Philippine Eagle Mindanao Philippine Eagle conservation on Mindanao, the Philippines |
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Reptile search in HK Last Hunt for Wildlife on Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong (RIP) |
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Saving Yunnan snub-nosed monkey Xi Zhinong - helping save Yunnan snub-nosed monkey |
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South China tiger Hunting and habitat destruction have brought these magnificent cats perilously close to extinction. Can the most threatened of the sub-species claw its way back? |
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Sundarbans in Bangladesh Here's part 1 of a video I shot, on a trip to the Sundarbans mangrove forest in October 2009: |
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Taman Negara rainforest, Malaysia Taman Negara - rainforest national park in Malaysia |
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TCM and Conservation Traditional Chinese Medicine and conservation |
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Turtle Park, Malaysia Green turtle conservation on Pulau Selingaan, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Wind farms and migratory birds Issue of wind farms and actual or possible threats to migratory birds is of interest to me, partly as I've been asked about a very few wind farm projects in China; one - already built - is right beside a wetland reserve on the north coast of the Bohai. It lies on the coastal flyway; the developer has permission to build more turbines within the reserve (!) |
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Wuliansuhai Birds, Inner Mongolia Birds at Wuliansuhai |
I'm visiting Borneo to learn about the deforestation and its impacts on wildlife and human lives. And to meet people working to save the remaining forests of Borneo, which was described by the great 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin as, "One great untidy luxuriant hothouse made by nature for herself."DocMartin
| Birding Guide in Hong Kong |
I am an experienced birding guide, now chiefly leading private birdwatchers to Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve, Hong Kong. |
| English Writer and Editor - Martin Williams |
I work as a writer and editor to meet the needs of clients. The needs of people like you. |
| Environmental consultant |
With my science background and extensive experience in watching and studying birds, including in China, I work on biodiversity related aspects of environmental impact assessments in mainland China and Hong Kong. |
| HK SEO |
If search results are indeed disappointing, you could benefit from SEO - search engine optimisation. This includes on-page factors, such as use of keywords and phrases, as well as off-page factors such as links within sites and links from external sites. |
| Hong Kong Based English Language Copywriter - Martin Williams |
I'm a skilled English-language copywriter, with extensive experience in writing, editing and proofreading materials spanning corporate brochures, speeches, adverts, feature articles, video scripts, press releases and websites. I can help build your brand. |
| Freelance writer, photographer and conservationist Dr Martin Williams |
Originally from Yorkshire, UK, and based in Hong Kong since 1987, I'm a writer and photographer, also nature tour leader and ecological consultant, with a strong interest in wildlife and conservation issues including global warming. |
Creativity
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How to Take Photos Photography is not a technical subject. Here, I only briefly cover the technical aspects, and instead mainly look at how to make good or even outstanding images. |
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Micro four thirds system for digital photos and videos At last, I've upgraded from compact/small sensor digital cameras, and moved further away from using film for premium images. After research online, and juggling pros and cons, I opted for a micro four thirds system camera (an Olympus E-PL1). |
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Using Nikon P100 super-zoom as ultra versatile digital camera
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Using Olympus PEN E-PL1
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Using Olympus 75-300 zoom for wildlife photos I'm using the Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 micro four thirds lens with my E-PL1, chiefly for photographing wildlife, especially birds. |
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Take top photos w compact cameras You will be amazed at the quality of the pictures you get with compact cameras - both film and digital - if you keep in mind the following points. |
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Sanyo Xacti HD2000 and Mac OS X Though Sanyo Xacti HD2000 results look good in Quicktime, the files are not readily edited in Final Cut Express. It is, however, possible to edit using Final Cut Express - by first converting files, or doing rough edit with iMovie. |
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Tips on using Sanyo Xacti HD2000 Here are a few suggestions on how to use the Sanyo Xacti HD2000, which is certainly a nifty little camera. |
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Advice on Writing for Print and for the Web
Here is a little advice on writing. |
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Free SEO advice Here's some brief advice on ensuring web pages rank well in search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. While I don't claim to be an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) hotshot, even some webmeisters can get a bit bamboozled at times. |
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Drupal newbie notes
Notes from my early experiences in using Drupal. |
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Bad bots Written after I had problems with rampant spiders on my websites, and used a script to ban bad bots. |
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Comment spam How marvellous it seemed when I first found I could add forums to websites, and allow people to comment. But as many a webmaster has quickly learned, there's a dark side to forums and comments: they can become magnets for spammers. |
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Adsense n Drupal 6 I've been using Drupal 5, which has a nifty module for using Google Adsense. However, on moving sites to Drupal 6, found this module was yet to be upgraded. I tried Adsense in a block within a Drupal 6 site, but it didn't work. So, searched for answer, and found in a thread on Drupal site. |
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Why Migrate from Joomla to Drupal? I've had an email from someone asking me if it's worth migrating a Joomla 1.0 site to Joomla! 1.5 or - as I've done with a couple of sites, including this - to Drupal. (This site's Drupal 6; Drupal 5 remains current, too.) My reply: |
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From Joomla to Drupal I've written in another article on this site re my gradual disillusionment with Joomla!, and of considering switching to Drupal for some time. This had seemed a daunting prospect; there was an article on Drupal site about converting from Joomla, but involved digging around w MySQL databases - not something I felt up to. |
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Drupal images n photo galleries Drupal 6 is a curious beast when it comes to images n photos. It is possible to create superb, image rich sites with Drupal; but for a non coding type like me, there is scope for befuddlement. |
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Really Useful Drupal 6 Modules Here are several of the Drupal 6 modules I'm using. |
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FCKeditor and IMCE w Drupal Posted to Drupal forum, to thread started by someone who had tried but failed to use FCKeditor and IMCE to try and add photos to articles. Much the same applies for newer CKeditor. Just found this thread; after looking re using IMCE to create folders for users [not sure it can do so for each indiv user I'd like to ] |
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GMap and Location modules w Drupal From a post I made to Drupal site, to thread w some people confused re using GMap and Location modules, which are a great help with adding Google Maps to a Drupal site, but seem sparsely documented. |
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Checking site for dead links on Mac I use Drupal for creating websites, and till recently hadn't found a way to check for dead links. I use Mac, and have found that Integrity does a grand job. |
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Boost Drupal website speed Looking for info on ways to enhance a Drupal website's speed, I found methods tended to be for hotshot developer types, perhaps in charge of their own dedicated servers. But there are methods, including using Drupal's own caching plus the Boost module, that work on shared hosting. |
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Fusion a nifty Drupal starter theme if you're looking for a Drupal 6 theme you can customise, maybe give Fusion a try. |
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Drupal Views Gallery w customisation I had long thought Drupal's Views module could help power a photo gallery, but was daunted by the prospect of actually creating one. Happily, though, KarenS has created the Views Gallery module - which makes it relatively easy to start a gallery. |
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Mobile site in Drupal using Mobile Tools Module If you want to create a mobile version of an existing Drupal site, including if multisite installation, the following notes - on using the Mobile Tools module - may help. |
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Now TV in Hong Kong
Info on Now Broadband TV, a service from pccw in Hong Kong, with some thoughts on which channels are worthwhile. |
For a recent project involving biodiversity surveys, I wanted an inexpensive and lightweight camera with which I could photograph subjects ranging from landscapes to birds. I checked out the "super-zoom" digital cameras, which include lenses that can zoom from wide-angle to powerful telephoto - and settled on Nikon P100.
I have entered the micro four thirds system of digital photography - and video shooting - with an Olympus PEN E-PL1. Delighted with the camera.
Forums
Travel articles
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Beidaihe, Hebei, China Summer retreats by the upper echelons of the Communist Party have helped make Beidaihe (北戴河区), some 280 km east of Beijing, China's highest-profile seaside resort |
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Cheung Chau Bun Festival in Hong Kong Here's a video I shot of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, which is like an carnival cum exorcism, held annually on Cheung Chau island in Hong Kong. |
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Cheung Chau, Hong Kong
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Fung Shui - Chinese geomancy in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has held fast to ancient, esoteric beliefs which the mainland government has sought to dispel. Prominent among these is fung shui |
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Hong Kong Hiking
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Hong Kong Nightlife - bars n discos A swift tour round Hong Kong bars, pubs n discos |
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Javan Jungles inc Ujung Kulon Indonesia
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Lantau Island, Hong Kong
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Many Splendoured Hong Kong
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Mount Kinabalu, Borneo Rising above lush rain forest to barren peaks, Southeast Asia's highest mountain is a study in contrasts |
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New Territories Hiking, Hong Kong Rural Hong Kong has a host of marvellous places to visit, and trails to explore. |
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Shangri-La, Yunnan, China
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Sri Lanka Wildlife and Culture Travel Tale
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Wild side of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong Scenes of the wilder side of Cheung Chau - an island in southwest Hong Kong, during spring 2010. |
Cheung Chau, is downright quirky — what other place do you know where the chief annual festival involves feeding ghosts, then banishing them to the underworld?
An overview of hiking in Hong Kong, including a pick of the best trails and areas.
Hong Kong's largest and most beautiful island: Lantau (爛頭)
Hong Kong has much to offer. There are beautiful beaches, gentle forest trails, challenging hill walks, South China villages, clusters of islands and islets, diverse wildlife including globally rare birds, corals and the world’s pinkest dolphins. Plus, of course, there’s the city itself
Shangri-La, you ask? Can it be that mythical place? That’s what I’m here to discover.
An adventure blending Sri Lanka’s wildlife, scenery, and rich cultural heritage.Inspirational People
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Allen Lien In October 2002, boxes of clothes began arriving in Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa, and they were all addressed to the same individual. |
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Dinosaur hunter Dong Zhiming
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Dr Yang Lihe helping former leprosy patients Dr. Yang Li-he has spent his life helping cure leprosy. Now he is helping former patients to rebuild their wrecked lives. |
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Garley fire rescue Captain Mike Ellis eased the Sikorsky Blackhawk in towards the beleagured Garley Building. Ahead of him, in what seemed to be the last corner of the roof untouched by fire, stood a group of four men. Behind them, the interior of an illegal structure was a hell like inferno of flame. The rest of the roof was lost in dense black smoke. |
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Jessie Yu - Hong Kong Single Parents Assoc founder The best way to get ahead, says this tireless Hong Kong philanthropist, is to help yourself. |
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Jill Robinson helping bears First Jill Robinson was shocked, then she set out to stop the suffering |
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Mother Ko's fight for justice The more lawmakers ignored her, the more determined she became to seek justice |
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Mountain Dog and rebuilding schools in China
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Panda expert Pan Wenshi
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SARS doctor Yannie Soo A mysterious illness was striking the medical staff down one by one. How could they fight back? |
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Teacher Lin helps kids in Taiwan Teacher Lin has a dream, in which more and more needy children find their home sweet home |
Meet the world's greatest dinosaur hunter
Former Hong Kong schoolmaster Leo Lu has hit the road to ensure that some of China’s neediest children receive an education. 
Creeping through a bamboo forest in the Qin Ling Mountains of China's Shaanxi province, Peking University zoologist Pan Wenshi and his assistant Lu Zhi are about to witness a sight rarely seen in the wild: a giant panda mother and her newborn cub.